Bait
by PerejennTook
Summary: Alice has been kidnapped by a rival mafia group in an effort to draw out the Hatter's group. However, since Boris is currently dating Alice, he will be in the mix as well, and hopefully he can avoid conflict with Blood and Elliot while they try to get Alice back. Hopefully she won't be too badly damaged in the process as she is tormented for information. Based on manga
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I do not Own Alice in the Country of Hearts/Clover/Joker. This is not based on game plot (that I'm aware of since I haven't played) but picks up the plot at the end of the current manga stop point. I'm going certifiably nuts waiting for The Cheshire Cat Waltz 5 to come out, and since I have three months to wait, I thought I'd stretch my imagination. I haven't written fanfic for years, and this is my first Alice fic._

Rated "M" for violence, rape (that may get graphic), and possible consensual sex.

BorisxAlice (obviously)

**Bait**

Alice Liddell opened her eyes slowly, aware of the aches and pain all over her body. It felt like she had fallen and bruised most of her body on the way down. She stared, bleary-eyed at her surroundings, trying to remember what had happened and where she was but all she came up with was fuzziness.

_Wait, what is wrong with my arms?_

She realized that her arms felt numb and were also…bound above her head? _What the…_

Then she began to remember things. She was at work and then she was trying to find the new store that had opened. She had gotten lost, wandered off the main street and down a back alley and then…A pain in her side made her wince, and she felt a small trickle run down her rib cage.

_Blood!? That's right! Someone grabbed me and…_

A door cracked open and two faceless walked in wearing suits and carrying guns.

"Hn. It seems the little girl is awake."

"Make her talk."

...

Boris Airay was frustrated. Beyond frustrated. He had gone to meet Alice after work, and somehow his girlfriend had managed to slip by him again.

_It's always the same. I can never find that girl._

He sighed, blowing a puff of air through his fuchsia hair, making it re-settle a little more across the left side of his face. He knew, from people's reactions to him, that he could have had any girl in Wonderland, but he didn't want any of the faceless. Among the role-holders, there was only one female, Vivaldi, and while beautiful, her unpredictable temperament made her too dangerous to be a possible partner. Until Alice had come to Wonderland, Boris had never been interested in any girl like that. He had never considered being someone's boyfriend and certainly not a monogamous, caring one. He meant it when he said he loved her though, so much so that he would wait around, frustrated or no.

Maybe she had gone on home, to the Hatter's mansion. Try as he might to talk her out of living there, she had insisted on staying. She said it was rude to just pick up and leave, especially since Blood Dupre was still refusing to take any money from her for rent.

_That damn Blood! He's just doing it to keep her aroundu and piss me off!_

He felt that she was making excuses for why she wouldn't leave the mansion, but he understood her reticence to not move in with him. They were moving pretty fast already, but he was pleased with the progress they had made. After all, she had let him closer than anyone ever before.

_Hn. Closer than anyone else indeed._

He brushed aside such thoughts. Couldn't start thinking about that now, or he would definitely need to find Alice immediately. He couldn't get out of his head though the way the blood came to her cheeks, how she squeezed her eyes together and tried to cover her mouth so those delicious little sounds wouldn't come out.

"_What are you doing? I…just…my voice. You'll hear…"  
"I wanna hear."_

Boris shifted uncomfortably as his pants grew tighter. God, she was so hot like that, writhing beneath him, the first time she had let him go all the way. He savored that moment, the moment she was finally fully his; she had claimed to be his before that , but he felt in that moment, it was finally true.

He had been so distracted with his thoughts that he hadn't realized he had arrived at the mansion, and the grinning faces of his friends, Dee and Dum, greeted him.

"Hey, Boris! Why didn't you bring big sis with you?"

"Yeah, we wanna play with her! We haven't seen her all day?"

Boris frowned. "You mean she's not here?"

"No we haven't seen her since the tea party last night."

"Is she not with you?"

"No. I went to her work, but she had already left. I figured she may have come home."

The twins looked confused when suddenly there was a flurry of action from the mansion. Elliot March came running outside toward the gate. He skidded to a halt when he saw Boris talking to the twins, eyes wild and furious.

"What have you done, cat?"

"What are you talking about?"

Elliot sighed, looking more agitated. "Then you don't know?"

"Know what, you hare-brained idiot? Make some sense!"

"You brats come with me. For once, I'm ordering you to abandon your posts." The three of them started to walk toward the mansion, and Elliot glanced back.

"You too. Blood will probably want you there as well."

Boris looked confused as he walked in the gate and shut it behind him. The Hatter's was enemy territory technically, but he had been invited in once before. Granted since they had left the country of Hearts and entered Clover, it's not as if he was really breaking territory rule, since his territory was gone and he was more of a mooch than a permanent resident there anyway.

He followed Elliot and the twins into the mansion and to Blood's study, where Blood stood pacing the floor. He looked up when Elliot and the twins entered, eyes settling on Boris for a second. His mouth pressed to a thin line, but he let it pass. He supposed that Boris did have a right to be here, especially given the news he was about to impart on the group.

"Hatter, what is going-?"

"They have Alice."


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Okay, so things aren't improving for Alice here. I was delaying posting this chapter, because I haven't written any more yet. Be patient! Also, I appreciate those of you reading!_

_Forgive the dialogue in scene 2; it's not my strong point. _

**Bait**

**Chapter 2**

The beating had stopped, but Alice was sure that nothing good would come next. She didn't know what her captors expected of her, but it had become clear that this was about Blood. They kept asking her for his secrets, for the structure of the Hatter family and how it worked. She told them she didn't know anything, but they way they smirked at her, they obviously didn't believe her.

She told them she was an outsider, and although it was true she was staying at the mansion, she had nothing to do with mafia business. She had determined that they must be some sort of rival group, enemies to Blood and his gang, but she had learned nothing significant.

She sobbed quietly, trying to squeeze her eyes shut and keep the tears from coming. A few trickled their way down her cheeks despite her efforts, and she watched them fall and soak into her dress. She wondered where Boris was and if he knew she was missing. Despite her current predicament, she hoped he didn't, because she was scared of what he might do when he found out.

_What if he hurts someone or gets himself hurt? I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to him!_

The smirking faces were back, and for once she was glad that they didn't have much to their faces, because she was certainly they would read cruelly. She stared up into the blank face of one of her captors, preparing herself for more.

"You ready to talk yet, little girl?"

Alice shook her head bravely, surprised she still had the strength. How long had she been here? Time in Wonderland was hard enough to figure out, with the randomly shifting time periods that never came in the correct order, but here in this windowless basement, she had no way to even keep track of periods.

She slumped to the floor as the bonds around her wrists were removed, and she curled into a tight ball, sure that she was not being show mercy. Her eyes flew open at the sound of a zipper being undone, and she began to tremble.

"Well, if beating you won't work, let's try a different tactic."

...

Now Boris was the one pacing the Hatter's office. Dee and Dum had been dispatched along with Elliot to start seeing what they could find out. More than likely that meant assaulting and even killing everyone they came across until someone had answers about Alice. Boris had tried to go too, but Blood had demanded he stay for the moment, and for whatever reason, Boris had listened. He knew that Blood had dispatched everyone at his disposal, including faceless minions. Even the mafia's cleaner Pierce had been called out to start hunting down answers. Though he didn't look like much, Pierce could be very convincing once he pulled out his wicked knife collection.

"I want to be out there! Dammit, I should be doing something!" Boris slammed his hands against Blood's desk as the brunette regarded him coolly.

Blood had his fingers steepled under his chin, and although he looked calm, he was incredibly pissed. He couldn't believe that Alice had been taken, that the innocent outsider had been abducted under his watch. True, he loved to torment her by making passes at her and making her feel uncomfortable in his presence, but she was an innocent. He felt very protective of her, and if she and Boris were not mutually exclusive, he may have insisted she take his flirtations more seriously.

_She made her choice. Who can blame her for choosing anyone over a bloody mafia boss? The cat has to be a more gentle lover than I would._

He wondered about that some, since he had witnessed Alice's tears just as often since she and Boris had begun dating, but he just assumed that was in her emotional nature. After all, the cat seemed to make her relatively happy, even if she still did carry some sadness around with her about her former home.

Suddenly the door to Blood's study crashed open, and Vivaldi strode in, eyes blazing at her little brother.

"What have you done with Alice?"

Blood sighed. His sister could be a real pain in the ass, but despite that, he cared for her greatly, when no one was watching. No one in Wonderland knew of their familial connection except for…

"I don't where she is, your majesty. I have sent out everyone I have on my payroll."

"And yet here you sit, calm and collected, not moving a personal muscle?"

Peter stepped out from behind the Queen, gun already in hand pointed at Blood's face.

"We left Alice in your care, and now she can't be found anywhere! "

Ace flanked Vivaldi's other side, hand his undrawn sword. He didn't say anything, but everyone in the room could tell his mood was dark. No one could bring the role-holders of Wonderland together like this except for Alice, and they might all be needed to find her.

Blood ran a hand through his hair exasperated. "She's been taken, likely by one of the other mob syndicates. A member of the Ciro family grabbed her on the street a few days ago, but we've determined they aren't behind it. They are small fry, so we didn't suspect them anyway."

Vivaldi leveled her scepter at Blood. "I knew sweet Alice would come to harm staying here. I tried to convince her to stay at the palace, but she said couldn't leave here because she would seem ungrateful."

"She was safe here. Until now."

"That's hardly a good enough excuse."

Boris gritted his teeth as they continued to bicker, growing more on edge as the minutes slipped by. None of this was getting Alice back, and precious time was slipping away. She could be seriously injured and worse by now…

"Dammit, would you all just shut up! None of this is helping get her back!"

All eyes in the room turned, regarding Boris coolly. Peter lowered his gun and Ace took his hand off of his sword hilt. Vivaldi managed a kind smile for him.

"Of course it isn't. Wise words from the cat," Vivaldi said, turning to Peter and Ace. "You two, mobilize everyone at the castle. Blood and I will get in touch with the other role holders and have them do everything they can as well. If anyone can motivate Wonderland, it's Alice."

Peter turned enraged eyes on Boris as he turned to leave the room.

"Why is her lover not helping?"

Before Boris could insult the Prime Minister, Blood spoke up in his defense.

"I asked him to stay here. I was afraid if we let kitty loose on the streets, he would shoot everyone too quickly for us to get answers."

Boris understood where Blood was coming from. He was really more of a shoot first, ask questions never kind of guy, but he did have a right to be looking for her. They may have all cared for Alice, but he loved her deeply; she was his girlfriend after all.

"I can restrain myself. I'd really like to be out there looking for her."

Blood nodded. "I couldn't have really stopped you short of killing you if you had been unwilling to remain. After all, you don't work for me, Boris. Remember, this is mob business, despite how much of a personal stake you have in this. We need answers from these scum."

Boris nodded and followed Ace and Peter out of the office, leaving Vivaldi and Blood alone, staring each other down once more.

"A fine job you've made of this, little brother."

"Do you think I wanted this? I have no idea how they even targeted Alice. I care about her, sister! If it wasn't for that damn cat, I might have-."

"Yes, but Alice made her choice, and you have been enough of a gentleman to respect that."

"What good would it do me getting rid of the cat? If she knew I had anything to do with it, it would not sway her in my direction."

Vivaldi nodded and gazed at him with pity in her eyes. Blood appeared to be a strong, uncaring mafia boss, and that was partially true, but inside she knew he was deeply angry and afraid for Alice. He probably would have killed everyone in Wonderland for her, if she asked. Maybe as his sister, she would have been spared his wrath, but even she was not sure their bond held them when it came to Alice. At least she knew from her perspective he would be on shaky ground if Alice ever wanted to turn her and the other role-holders against him, or anyone else in Wonderland for that matter. As an outsider, the girl definitely had a hold over everyone in Wonderland.

"Alert me if you hear anything. I am returning to the place should word reach there first."

Blood nodded curtly, asking her to shut the door on the way out. Once it was closed, he put his head in hands.

"Alice…"


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Alright, all. Hope I don't let you down. I appreciate all the reviews and feedback. Thanks for letting me know I'm not just writing this to fill my own time until CCW 5. So more of the same: Alice in captivity, everyone looking for her. Some emotional exploration this time so let's give that a go, shall we? Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long (and I hope it was worth it!)_

**Bait**

**Chapter 3**

Darkness and pain…

That was what her time had become here, held by her captors. They were trying a new tactic, withholding food and drink, since none of their other methods had worked. She had started to wonder when they might kill her, just to get her out of this situation.

She had come to the conclusion that they would never let her go, not since they wouldn't believe she knew nothing about Blood. She had given up on escape or rescue; she was just waiting for them to come to the conclusion she would do them no good and dispose of her. Fatigue overtook her, and she slipped into unconsciousness, into the world of dreams.

...

Boris tucked his gun back in his holster, stepping away from the blood pool forming at his feet. He kicked the corpse as he walked by, grimacing.

"Lowlife."

He had been on the street for hours, shot a handful, interrogated more, but had no leads on Alice. He checked his watch and saw it was time to meet up with the others. He wondered if they had better luck then he or if one of them had maybe found Alice already.

_Alice… _

The girl was so innocent in all of this, and he hoped they would find her alive. He cared deeply for her, even though their relationship was something they were still getting used to. He walked briskly to the meeting point, already seeing the twins there.

They had found nothing they told him and haven't even killed all that many people yet. It was clear to Boris that they also wanted to find Alice but also wanted to continue the interrogation process so that they could keep killing. Suddenly the afternoon peace of the square was shattered by round of gunfire as Elliot came hurtling down the street, firing his pistol in the direction the other bullets were firing from. The twins sprang into action, axe blades flashing, quickly coated with blood as they pursued Elliot's attackers. Elliot wiped his brow, smearing a small trickle of blood across his forehead before he turned to glare at Boris.

"Weren't you going to help?!"

Boris smirked. "You looked like you had it covered. Plus I knew Dee and Dum were going to jump at the opportunity. Too many cooks in the kitchen, as they say."

"Yeah, maybe. Or maybe you just aren't as serious about finding Alice as the rest of us. Maybe it's time for you to step aside and let a real man take care of her."

Boris's gun was in his hand and pressed to Elliot's temple befor the hare could blink. Boris gritted his teeth, baring his fangs, itching to pull the trigger.

"Say something like that again to me, and I'll blow your damn head off!"

Dee and Dum came jogging back but stopped upon seeing what was passing between Elliot and Boris.

"What's goin' on, chicky rabbit?" Dee asked.

"Yeah, what did you say to make Boris mad?" Dum followed.

"Tch," said Elliot, knocking the gun away from his temple. "Nothing that I regret. Did any of you find out anything?"

"You first, stupid bunny!" Dum exclaimed.

Elliot sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before he began. "I found someone who saw Alice walking from her job down a back alley. They said they saw someone grab her, and there was definitely blood on the sidewalk."

Boris's head spun as bile rose in his throat. _No, not blood. That means they may have already killed her. That's why we haven't found anything more concrete._

He put his hand over his mouth, biting down hard. The pain brought his mind away from the edge and allowed him to focus on the details. He licked the trickle of blood off his wrist as he put the facts together as they walked to where Alice had been last seen.

_No one has found a body. Alice wouldn't turn into a clock like we do, so surely if they killed her somebody would have found her body. Everyone, even the faceless, knows about the outsider in Wonderland, so anyone would have known what finding a body meant. So she can't be dead; she's just been hurt._

Coming to the realization that Alice wasn't dead but somebody had just made her bleed didn't diminish his anger; in fact it made it worse. Instead of sadness, the only emotion Boris was feeling was rage. Who thought they could put their hands on Alice, hurt her, take her away from him? Those responsible were going to pay even more now when he got his claws into them.

"We gotta go back and tell the boss what we found out. It's not much, but Blood will want to know," Elliot announced.

The twins chattered on the way back to the mansion about the people they had killed, which families they belonged to and eliminated quite a few of the small time families, according to Elliot. The twins had apparently gotten lucky with their kills, as they had hunted indiscriminately, not with any sort of strategy. They wanted to get Alice back too, but tactical strategy wasn't really the twin's strong point.

They reached the mansion and walked back inside to Blood's study. The mafia boss listened to everything they said, frown on his face. He walked away from them and resumed a seat behind his desk, taking his hat off and flipping in his hands.

"So we don't know much more than we did before," Blood stated patiently.

Elliot responded quickly, "well we have narrowed it down the top few families-."

"Which we already determined that was likely the case, so why haven't any of you questioned those families?"

Dee and Dum piped up. "We killed a couple of faceless that work for them—"

"But they didn't know anything!"

Blood put his head in hands for a second before he made eye contact with the twins again.

"Great job, boys. Remind me why I pay you so well and don't just kill you?"

"They are gatekeepers, Blood. They are great at killing, which is what you pay them for. Thinking is not their strong suit," Elliot offered.

Before Boris could add anything, there was a knock at the study door.

"Enter," Blood commanded.

One of the servants brought in a silver tray, bearing a folded piece of paper.

"Sir, someone just delivered this to the mansion."

Blood picked it up and sliced it open, unfolding the letter and scanning it quickly. His eyes narrowed as he regarded the faceless servant in front of him.

"Who brought this?"

"Umm…just another faceless, s-sir. I didn't know him and he—"

There were gunshots and the faceless servant fell. Blood turned away from the clock now lying on the floor and looked back at Boris.

"You'll want to read this. It's from the family that took Alice."

...

Alice was aware of the grey, swirling mist around her as she woke up in the world of dreams and heard a distant voice calling her name. She struggled to stand but found even in this world, she was too weak. She instead relied on his voice to reach him, the man that waited in her dreams.

"I'm here!"

She had tried looking for him before, but her dreams had been empty until now so she had been unable to find him, to ask for help. Of course, he wouldn't have come until now, when she had finally given up hope of any kind of rescue.

He came into her field of vision, all impeccable suit and darkness, but she had never seen him look so worried.

"Alice!"

He came to her side and wrapped her in a surprisingly comforting embrace. She fought back tears as he held her, his grey hair tickling her nose as it brushed against it.

"Nightmare, I was looking for you. Why weren't you here?"

"Gray has had me working around the clock, and I was trying to respectfully stay out of your dreams, especially since the last time we talked, your kitty cat was none too happy with me. But then I heard you were missing, so I've been looking for you here. Where are you?"

"E-everyone's l-l-looking for me?" She tried to cut off her sobbing.

"Of course they are, Alice. Everyone loves you. Did you doubt that?"

She had, in fact, started to doubt that. She had no idea how to tell Nightmare what she had been through, and also no clue where she was, so she was able to offer no help toward her possible rescue.

"Everyone's looking, Alice. We'll find you. You're going to be okay."

She wished she could believe him. She wanted to tell him that she was waiting, expecting, but she doubted at this point that even if they found her, she would be worth saving. She was just a tool people used to get what they wanted; her ex, these people who were after Blood..and after what they had done to her, was she really anything more than damaged goods?

Alice felt herself being pulled back to the world of the living as she began to wake up, and Nightmare squeezed her hand one last time.

"Don't worry, Alice."

Her eyes cracked open and the first thing she registered was the sound of gunshots.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Sorry it's been a while since I updated, readers. Quite a bit has been going on for me here irl, and I have been debating how to continue from here. I'm pretty confident that I know how I want this to end up, but I was having a bit of problem getting from A to B. Pretty sure we are back on track now, but this will be a slightly shorter chapter than previous._  
_I have decided that there will be some descriptive sex at some point, but my lips are sealed as to who will be having it. :)_  
_Stay tuned, loves!_

**Bait**

**Chapter 4 **

Boris gritted his teeth, ducking under the gunfire and rolling across the ground to avoid getting hit. He wasn't particularly happy about playing the decoy in the Hatter's plan, but if it would get him to Alice, he would play whatever game the Hatter wanted.

A bullet grazed his arm, and he winced, firing on the faceless that hit him, bringing him down. The alley was a hail of gunfire, but Boris has managed to hit a couple of the shooters, slightly increasing his chances against so many men. When the next bullet grazed his cheek, he grinned, feeling the bloodlust rise in his veins.

He loved Alice, but in many ways, she had tamed him, and he had forgotten how much he enjoyed the violence and being caught in a fire fight. His gun clicked empty and he quickly reloaded ducking behind some trash cans in the narrow alley.

He wasn't particularly looking forward to the next part of the plan, but the Hatter insisted this was necessary for getting to Alice before the rival mafia knew what was happening. He darted back out into the alley, ducked under a barrage then times his charge. The bullet that took him full in the shoulder felt like a train slamming into him and he dropped, hoping that the enemy would not continue firing on him.

Luckily, the gunfire ceased, which is what they had all counted on. If the gunfire had continued, Boris would have either been dead in the street or had to continue fighting with the bullet lodged In his shoulder.

_No sense in wasting bullets when the enemy is down. No sense in continuing when you've got them right where you want them._

Boris wasn't quite prepared when the butt of a rifle came down on the back of his head, but he almost smirked as darkness closed in.

_Got ya._

_..._

Alice's eyes were on the door as it opened, and her captors entered, carrying something large between them. She hadn't known what to expect since the gunfire had stopped, but this was not the outcome she had hoped for. Despite herself, she had hoped Nightmare was right, that her rescue was going to happen.

The man carrying to large bundle dropped a few feet from her, sneered, and left her alone with the blanket wrapped mass. Her fingers twitched toward it, thinking it vaguely looked like a person, and as she reached the edge of the blanket, she shifted it enough for a shock of fuchsia hair to fall out, and she jerked her fingers back in horror.

_Oh, no! Is he…dead?_

Almost in answer to her terrified question, Boris groaned and shifted, exposing his bloody shoulder. Alice covered her mouth as tears sprang fresh to her eyes, and she began to tremble. Boris, the man she very likely loved, was seriously injured, to what degree she did not know, but it was all her fault.

She wasn't surprised when the door opened again, and her tormentors entered, wicked intent clear on their dark faces.

"Let's see which one of them will break first."


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: I've been away for so long! How time does fly, even when you aren't having fun! So in case you haven't read it, go out and read "My Fanatic Rabbit". It's sensational! Also I better get a move on, because according to Amazon, the real continuation of this story happens in about a month! Cheshire Cat Waltz, book 5, minnas! Alright, so show on the road! Also I went back and edited my previous chapters for a few errors and the lack of section dividers. Apparently the system doesn't like what I use so I've replaced them with a "…" to indicate character shift within the chapter. As usual I do not own…blah, blah, blah…Quinrose is amazing…blah. As always your reviews/follows are appreciated! I love all of you, even ones who just read and flit away!_

_In our last short but sweet installment, Alice and Boris were both in the fire from the frying pan, but don't worry! Resolution is coming, in the form of an army of role-holders! But will they be able to get out unscathed? Find out now!_

**Bait**

**Chapter 5**

The mafia boss sneered at his newest catch, the pink haired kitty who so obviously had been in over his head. To be fair, though Alice was a good catch, the kitty was better and certainly more attractive, as far as the boss was concerned. His predilections aside, he didn't want to be as rough with his newest toy, because properly broken, he could be a fine weapon.

Boris opened his eyes to the ugliest face he had ever seen and smirked.

"So you are the asshole that's been holding Alice? You better not have hurt her, because you are going to get paid back for every bruise."

"Oh, the kitty has claws. I like that. Well listen up, cat, cause we've got a treat in store for you. We are going to let you see first-hand what we've been doing to your little Alice this whole time. Then if you're lucky, maybe you'll get the same star treatment."

Boris hissed at the guy between his teeth as he was spun around to face Alice and his eyebrows raised in shock.

_I'm going to kill each and every one of these assholes, starting with that ugly ass boss…_

…

Alice kept her eyes averted as the rough, calloused fingers roughly pinched her nipple. They had stripped her completely and shackled her hands above her head but what had really surprised her was Boris. They had a gun to his head as he sat across from her, and it seemed to her he would be the audience for her daily torture this time.

Her eyes dropped away from his face as the hand pulled her head backward and bit savagely at her throat, tongue lapping the trickles of blood that came to the surface of her skin. She was beyond sobbing. She felt numb as the violation took place yet again, only now it was worse because Boris was there watching and…

"Dammit, I'm going to kill everyone of you sick bastards!"

She heard Boris struggle against his bonds, trying to force himself toward her, but she knew he was wasting his energy. She knew they would probably both die here, and that Julius would fix Boris's clock, and he would become someone else, someone new, while she would just be dead.

"Alice, look at me!"

Tears sprang fresh to her eyes when they hadn't for days, and she shook her head, eyes shut against her reality.

"Alice, listen to me! You are so much better than them! When we get free, I'm going to do everything I can to erase this whole thing from your mind."

She winced as her skirt was pulled up, and she was entered roughly from behind, and Boris growled deep in his throat.

_You won't want me now…who would?_

…

Boris wanted to turn away. He didn't want to watch what was happening to Alice, what had been happening. He also didn't want to acknowledge that his pants had grown tight again, but his body betrayed him. Alice was still desirable to him, and he couldn't help if his traitorous body still wanted her, even while these sick, twisted men tortured her.

All he could say is, the Hatter better arrive soon, because if his plan failed, Boris was going to add his name to the list of people he was going to kill.

He didn't know why he was taken by surprise when the mafia boss's hand cupped his hardness through his shorts and squeezed, whispering his foul breath in his ear.

"Does kitty want to play too? I can certainly keep you occupied while you watch."

His eyes narrowed as the hand found his zipper and slipped inside his shorts, but it was worse when Alice's eyes rolled to him and widened in shock.

_I'm going to kill you first, mafia scum_, Boris thought as the hand caressed him, and he looked away from Alice for the first time since he had been brought into the room.

…

Elliot March smiled as Dee and Dum's blades silently whisked through the guards standing outside the rival mafia's strong hold. The alley was littered with shells and a few clocks. Obviously no one on Julius's payroll had been around to collect them yet, and he thought about smashing them just to spite the clockmaker, but he didn't follow through with it. These faceless scum meant nothing to him, and it certainly wasn't worth the capital punishment if he was caught.

Blood appeared and nodded approvingly at the cleared path before stepping over the bodies that had yet to turn back into clocks, nudging one away with his cane.

As he turned to the others, his cane turned into a gun, and he put his hand on the door.

"Send the signal for the others. They may be needed for clean up."

"You want me to bring Pierce in?" Elliot asked, surveying the two bodies that had finally dissolved leaving behind their broken clocks.

"No, the clockmaker can have these. And remember what I said. No one kills the other head. We're taking him back for questioning. We'll call in Pierce in then."

"Got it, boss!" Elliot responded as Blood and the twins entered the warehouse and he began to send up the signal.

…


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Hey, the gang's all here! We are wrapping up quickly. Fair warning, sex is coming, though not in this chapter. Thanks everyone for your continued support. With very little fanfare, on with the show!_

**Bait**

**Chapter 6**

The twins were lethal inside the tight hallways, giant axes blocking bullets and not allowing any of the mobsters escape around them. They were splattered with blood and smiling as they cut a path through the barrages of gunfire.

Blood was in his element, gun firing at anyone that was reachable through the twins' axes, bringing down only a few less than the twins combined. They had seen Ace run in earlier, followed closely by Peter, but they had taken a different route into the building. They had been given the same instructions regarding the mob boss by Elliot, but Blood wasn't particularly worried about them.

Elliot joined them moments later, having given all the other arrivees the instructions. Gun already drawn, he paused long enough to tell Blood that Vivaldi was waiting outside in her carriage to spirit Alice away as soon as they obtained her.

Blood was immaculate. Elliot could never understand how he kept so clean during these altercations, but his white coat was usually spotless in the end. They worked quickly, killing their way into the building, until the bullets stopped and all around them lay the bloody faceless they had killed.

Dee and Dum spun, big grins on their faces, until they heard Alice's scream pierce through the silence, and they began to run toward the back of the warehouse. Elliot didn't hesitate kicking in the door when they arrived at it, but they came to a stop quickly once inside.

Boris was on the floor, blood trickling from one side of his mouth, unconscious or already dead no one was sure. The rival boss was on his side, hands between his legs, but all eyes were on Alice. One of the faceless had a knife to her throat, and he was caressing her ear with his tongue. Elliot's eyes locked on Alice's and shifted to Boris then back to hers.

The uncertainty in her eyes told him all he needed to know; she had screamed because she didn't know if he was alive or if they had killed him. Elliot started to move toward him, but then stopped when Alice squeaked as the blade was pressed into her neck, causing a small rivulet of blood to run down her neck.

"Now that we have you where we want you, I think you should put down your weapons," said the faceless with the knife.

"There's four of us and one of you. Why should we do that?" Blood said calmly.

Elliot could see the only thing that betrayed him was his eyes, which burned with anger, but everything about him seemed cool and unruffled apart for that small detail. The faceless smirked.

"Because if you don't, I'm going to kill this girl, just like her little friend over there."

"What makes you think we care?"

Alice's eyes widened, and Elliot tried to shake his head slightly to reassure her. Alice always thought the worst of herself and was very easy to believe everyone. She probably bought the lie more than the mobster did, which made Elliot's blood boil more. He never understood how she could think so little of herself, the girl who valued everyone's life in Wonderland, save her own.

"And even if we do care about her, if you kill her, you have nothing. Think carefully," Blood said, as his gun changed back to his cane which he leaned casually on.

Seconds later, a black clad arm emerged from the darkness, pulling the knife away from Alice's throat and snapping the faceless's wrist backwards with a sickening crunch. Out of the darkness stepped Grey and Nightmare, satisfied grins on their faces. Nightmare lifted a booted foot and placed in on the faceless's shoulder, pushing him back away from Alice.

Elliot was there to catch her as her legs gave way, and moments later Grey found the key that would unlock her wrists from the heavy shackles. Blood affirmed that the mob boss was still alive, and Elliot turned to him as he chuckled quietly.

"Seems are kitty cat bit him in a sensitive area," Blood responded to Elliot's unanswered question.

"B-Boris. Elliot, is he a-a-live?" Alice sobbed into Elliot's chest as he held her.

Nightmare swept across the room and dropped to a knee beside Boris, long white fingers moving deftly across Boris's prone body.

"He's alive. He's just unconscious, Alice," Nightmare reassured.

Ace and Peter arrived at that momtent, surveying the scene, eyes both stopping to rest on a bleeding and bruised Alice.

"I think we should take Alice back to Heart Castle," Ace spoke first, eyeing the others uncertainly.

Now that Alice was safe and the villains responsible dead, or mostly dead, the peace was sure to dissolve quickly. Ace had cast the first die by speaking, but everyone else soon joined in, clamoring about the best place for Alice to be. Soon weapons were drawn again and pointed in various directions while the squabbling continued.

Alice trembled in Elliot's arms, but he remained quiet while the others continued to disagree with each other. Suddenly a new voice volunteered his opinion, surprising everyone.

"I don't care where Alice goes, but she's staying with me," Boris muttered, pushing himself to a kneeling position as he struggled to stabilize his vision.

Getting hit repeatedly in the head was something he didn't care for he had decided, and it happened far too much in the past few hours. He nodded at Elliot briefly since he still held Alice in his arms, and then locked gazes with the rest of the room.

"Mansion," Alice whispered almost inaudibly.

Heads turned toward her as she spoke, and Blood gave the others a self satisfying smirk. He had won the young lady yet again, and it pleased him that she hadn't wanted to go elsewhere after the incident that had almost cost her life.

"Elliot, take her. Dee, Dum, you're to remain here. I'll let you play when I'm finished with this one," Blood commanded, nudging the mob boss with his boot, who groaned in response. 'And call Pierce before you go. We may require his…skills now."

...


End file.
